People stand confused and upset Wednesday over the chaotic line for a sightseeing bus near Manhattan's southern tip. (Go Nakamura/New York Daily News)

Denetra Mapugilo was expecting an unforgettable New York experience when she purchased tickets for a boat trip around the Statue of Liberty.

What she got instead was a nightmarish ordeal that she can't forget soon enough.

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The 41-year-old tourist from Iowa was among a few hundred visitors who endured a roughly 8-hour slog of false promises and frozen waits that included a bus trip to New Jersey and encounters with police from two states.

"I will never, ever, ever do that again," Mapugilo told the Daily News.

The torturous tourist trap began about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday when Mapugilo and three relatives emerged from the Bowling Green subway station seeking an encounter with Lady Liberty.

Even before they caught sight of her soaring torch, Mapugilo and her family were surrounded by Battery Park hustlers.

The tourists had no way of knowing that the men were illegally hawking tickets on parkland.

Mapugilo said the scammers told them that they were offering the only opportunity to see Lady Liberty up close by boat. The cost — $30 each.

"My sister was skeptical but we went along with it," said Mapugilo, who was also sight-seeing with her teenage niece and cousin.

The Statue of Liberty is a popular tourist destination — and a favorite scam for grifters. (LUCAS JACKSON/REUTERS)

Only later would they learn that it was a lie — they could have just hopped on the Staten Island ferry for free or paid $18.50 for a trip directly to Liberty Island from Battery Park.

Instead, Mapugilo and her relatives were led to a windswept corner a quarter-mile away where they joined throngs of other tourists struggling in the cold.

They waited for buses unaware that they were about to be driven to midtown and through the Lincoln Tunnel to the New Jersey town of Weehawken.

The tickets said, "New York Iconic Cruises — Pier 36, 299 South Street." Attached to some of them was a small strip of paper that read, "Boat will leave from Lincoln Harbor Yacht Cruises 07086 NJ."

As the minutes ticked by, expletive-filled shouting matches erupted between the frustrated tourists and workers.

"Get the f--- back now," a worker barked at one point.

Rob Lukaszczyk, 37, was among several tourists who peeled out of the line after waiting for more than 90 minutes.

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"These guys are just trying to make a quick buck," said Lukaszczyk, of Chicago.

Denetra Mapugilo (l.) and Jazlynn Lewis, from Iowa, pre-paid for tickets to see the Statue of Liberty and had to wait in the freezing cold for a bus that took them from Lower Manhattan to a dock in New Jersey in order to board the boat. (Courtesy of Denetra Mapugilo)

He planned to contact his credit company in a bid to recoup his party of five's $35 tickets. "It really feels like a scam or at least a bait and switch," said Lukaszczyk.

With the crowd growing more frustrated, one tourist called 911 to report that he had been cheated and wanted his money back, sources said.

Officers responded to the scene and calmed the crowd but made no arrests, sources said.

Mapugilo and her relatives waited more than two hours in the bone-chilling single-digit temps before they boarded the bus about 3 p.m. They zipped through Manhattan, arriving at the marina in Weehawken by 3:45 p.m. Once again, they were forced to wait — this time for the boat.

The ticket said it would depart at 3:45 p.m., but the 85-foot yacht with two decks didn't pull away from the marina until after 5 p.m. "We had to wait in the cold," Mapugilo said. "It was awful."

The trip took a little more than an hour. As the boat neared the Statue of Liberty, Mapugilo was already too exasperated to enjoy the view.

The tourists' fury grew when they filed out of the boat only to discover that they would have to wait at least an hour for a bus ride back to Manhattan.

Officers from the Weehawken Police responded to the marina but the department did not return requests for comment.

Tourists hoping to get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty are often forced to endure chaos and confusion. (Go Nakamura/New York Daily News)

Mapugilo and her family were among dozens of others who flagged down their own cab.

"The only thing on our mind was getting back to our cousin's house and laying down and going to bed because it was a nightmare," Mapugilo said.

The owner of one the boats contracted by Aurora Tourism LLC said he cut ties with the company after Wednesday's debacle.

"I shut it down," he said. "I realized what they were doing was wrong and I don't want anything to do with it."

B. Lister Jegede, the owner of Aurora Tourism, blamed the hellish ordeal on the sheer number of tourists who bought tickets.

"We are only doing our business a legitimate way," he said. "We may have had some inconveniences but they were beyond our control."

Mapugilo didn't make it back to her cousin's Bronx home until about 10:45 p.m. She and her relatives planned to leave for Washington D.C. Thursday morning but she couldn't muster the strength to get out of bed in time.

"My body was just worn out from all that," she said. "And we wasted the whole day."